Why is Mars Covered in 'Spiders'?

In 2024, the Mars Express orbiter was passing over the Martian South Pole when it came across something spectacular. A labyrinth-like structure stands out in the otherwise barren terrain. The feature is nicknamed Inca City. What's even more interesting is that when scientists took a closer look, they saw hundreds of dark spider-like features. Are we looking at a It's not the first time we've seen terrain reminiscent of spiders and spider webs. This image, taken in 2009, shows a large formation which looks eerily like a web. This is one of the larger spider formations, with a diameter of approximately 1 kilometer, or 0.6 miles. There is nothing on our planet to compare it to. Taken in 2018, this image shows a landscape full of spider-web-like features. There are many examples of these strange formations, and surprisingly, all these so-called spiders are occurring in the same area, which has garnered the nickname cryptic terrain, right next to the Martian South Pole. One of the first images to spark debate was this one, taken in the year 2000, showing many of these spider-webs in close proximity. At the time, scientists proposed that these features were simply warm patches of bare ground, where no carbon dioxide ice had formed. Later thermal imaging, however, revealed that these spots were just as cold as the surrounding ice. Soon after the first detection, it was discovered that these web patterns are negative in the landscape. In other words, they are channels that go into the ground, not features that stick up out of the surface. Occurring alongside the spider-like features are these curious plumes. This was a big clue for scientists back here on Earth. When viewed closely, many of these plumes displayed the spider-like channels. It didn't take long for wild ideas to circulate. Could these be colonies of alien microorganisms, or the work of intelligent life? The strange appearance of the spiders did beg for an explanation. For a while, researchers only had the images to go on, and those images showed the spiders coming and going with the seasons. What's more, the spiders reappear in the same spots each year, evolving and growing over time. This was a vital clue, and it led scientists to consider the changes associated with Martian seasons, especially the behavior of ice. Alongside the existence of the dark spots and plumes, a theory was proposed. During the winter, the landscape is mainly covered by carbon dioxide ice. However, as the sun returns during the spring, the carbon dioxide ice causes a greenhouse effect, magnifying the sun's rays on the bottom layers of the ice. The lower ice layers heat up much faster than the top layer, and turn directly into gas. This gas is trapped under the ice, and pressure starts to build, until an explosion occurs. The ground cracks into a spider-like shape, and the center of the blast releases dark dust from the surface, explaining the plumes. For a long time, this theory was just that, a theory. In 2021, however, UK researchers put a dry ice block onto sand inside a Mars simulation chamber. The ice sublimated, and the escaping carbon dioxide gas etched radial cracks in the sand that perfectly mimicked the spider patterns, providing the first lab proof that these features do form by this process. But what about Inca City, I hear you ask? While it's not fully known what caused the labyrinth formation at Inca City, the leading theory is that a massive asteroid impact cracked the ground there. Then, volcanic activity filled the cracks with lava. After eons of wind erosion, the softer material surrounding the cracks disappeared, and the lava remnants remain. In the end, the Martian spiders turned out not to be living creatures or the handiwork of aliens. But the reality is just as astonishing. Mars effectively creates steam vents, but with dry ice instead of water. This unearthly process has no direct counterpart on our home world, reminding us that other planets play by different rules. Just picture it, if a future explorer on Mars could visit the South Polar region in the spring, they might witness the ground around them cracking and hissing as CO2 geysers erupt, spraying dark dust while spidery patterns appear all around them. It would be a terrifying scene, and unlike anything here on Earth. We want to thank our channel members and Patreon subscribers for their generous support. Join the community today to get your name in the videos, early access to ad-free content, and even a curated set of 4k desktop wallpapers. It really helps us to create more quality content that you enjoy. Thanks for watching Elderfox. Please remember to like, share, and subscribe. It really helps.